Richland solicitor candidate surges ahead with wide lead

In the race to be Richland County’s top prosecutor, Democrat Byron Gipson is leading petition candidate John Meadors.

Gipson has 75 percent of the vote to 24 percent for Meadors, according to the S.C. Election Commission.

The 5th Judicial Circuit covers Richland and Kershaw counties.

Gipson defeated incumbent solicitor Dan Johnson in the Democratic primary in June, after Johnson was accused of sexual harassment and misspending public money. Johnson has since been indicted on federal fraud charges and suspended from office.

Afterwards, Meadors filed to run as a petition candidate after gathering more than 13,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot, setting up tonight’s race.

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 9:33 PM.